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STUDENTS' E-MAIL NEWS FROM CZECH REPUBLIC
School of Social Sciences of Charles University
Smetanovo nabr. 6
110 01 Prague 1
Czech Republic
E-mail address: carolina@n.fsv.cuni.cs
Fax: (+422) 231 7391
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C A R O L I N A No 62, Friday, February 12, 1993.
FROM LAST WEEK'S EVENTS (February 3 to 10)
Separation Of Currency Effected, Late Exchange Possible Till February 28
On February 8, the separation of the Czechoslovak currency into the
currency of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic took place. The
monetary union went out of existence. The exchange of bank notes for
stamped ones ran its course through February 4 - 7 without a hitch.
About one half of the population came up with the money, and many of
them exchanged just small amounts. The exchange was concluded on
February 7, but forgotten money need not be lost. There is still time
until the end of the month to come to selected branch offices of the
Commercial Bank to exchange bank notes in the amount of up to two
thousand crowns, and with a written application giving reasons why the
citizen missed the regular deadline.
The exchange rate of the Czech crown (Kc) and the Slovak crown (Ks)
will be known on Friday, February 12. Effective Wednesday, February 10,
the Investment Bank announced a tourist rate of 1:1; for the purchase of
the Slovak currency, it is 0.80, sale 1.20. The most advantageous rate
is apparently the rate of the Czechoslovak Business Bank in the Slovak
Republic; it offered 99 and required 101 Slovak crowns for 100 Kc. For
other than tourist purposes, the Czech and the Slovak crown are mutually
inexchangeable. All other inter-republican payments are regulated by
a payments treaty which is based on the principle of three clearing
circuits.
Klaus Kinkel In Prague
Changes of any kind in the treaty between CSFR and FRG are
inadmissible. This agreement is the outcome of Prague talks on February
5, between the German Foreign Minister K. Kinkel and President V. Havel,
Premier V. Klaus and Foreign Minister J. Zieleniec. The major part of
the talks was devoted to the problems of Sudeten Germans. According to
V. Klaus, it was the German Minister himself who requested a debate on
this topic. He said that he is under constant pressure from political
groups in Germany to talk to his Czech partners exactly about this
question. However, K. Kinkel does not want to burden the relations with
CR with Sudeten problems. The Czech Premier repeatedly called the
demands of Sudeten Germans unacceptable.
The talks also touched upon the displacement of asylum seekers from
Germany. The point is that CR refused to receive them until it is clear
that they will be in turn received by the countries through which they
came to us. "Asylum seekers are a problem which Germany cannot solve
alone. She does not, however, shift it on the neighboring states,
including CR," stressed K. Kinkel. Further, the German party recognized
the necessity of compensation to Czech victims of Nazism. A concrete
form of such compensations was not specified.
Kinkel became the firat of Foreign Ministers to visit Prague after
the breakup of Czechoslovakia.
Ministers Of The Czech Government On The Romany Question
Manifestations of ethnic and racial intolerance are something I do
not want to experience in this country, said Premier Klaus after the
Monday session of the Czech cabinet. It was an extraordinary session to
discuss the Romany (informally known as Gypsy - transl.) question and
demands which were handed to it by the representatives of the Romany
Democratic Congress.
Some of the demands were characterized by the Premier as realistic,
e.g., consistent enforcement of the ban on fascist and racist groups. On
the other hand, the requested changes in conditions for granting the
Czech citizenship were rejected by the cabinet, with the comment that
the citizenship law holds equally for all. In its petition, the Romany
Democratic Congress demanded, for example, that having a clean criminal
record for five years should not be a condition for granting of the
citizenship.
According to V. Klaus, there are three main causes of distress
among the Romanys - the fear for individual life, caused by increasing
activities of the skinheads, uncertainty of Romanys concerning their
legal position which arose as a consequence of the breakup of CSFR and
the determination of their citizenship, and their extraordinary social
instability as a consequence of an economic transformation.
Ambiguity about citizenship, as told by Klara Samkova, the deputy
of the former Federal Assembly for the Romany Civic Initiative (ROI), is
the concern of 200 thousand Romanys, and its roots go back to a 1969
law. At that time, the citizens of the federal Czechoslovakia became
citizens of the Czech or Slovak Republic according to their place of
birth. Children under 15 years acquired the citizenship of their
parents. A number of Romany families who came originally from Slovakia
but have lived on the territory of the Czech Republic, have consequently
Slovak citizenship.
A series of demands in the Romany petition is, according to
Premier's words, two-edged. It is a reality that besides a feeling of
threat to Romany population, there is a feeling of threat to the non-
Romany population caused exactly by the activities of the Romanys.
V. Klaus sees a solution to the Romany problem in adopting certain
measures at the regional level. Apparently, conclusions reached by the
Czech government, after it discusses the results of the Monday
extraordinary cabinet session, will be passed to regional organs.
A Sole Candidate For The President Of The Slovak Republic
The former speaker of the Federal Parliament, Roman Kovac (Movement
for Democratic Slovakia - HZDS) is the only Slovak presidential
candidate for the second double round to take place on February 15,
possibly even 16.
By the deadline, the National Council of the Slovak Republic
received also the nomination of Ivan Gasparovic, the present speaker of
the parliament. However, he did not give his consent, so that one of the
election regulations was not met. The presidential candidate for the
opposition, the Rector of the Comenius University at Bratislava Juraj
Svec, tied his running for the office to the support of all non-
governmental parties. The fact that the Party of the Democratic Left
expressed its support only orally, was construed by him as a violation
of an agreement, and he withdrew about one hour before the close.
To be elected Slovak President, Michal Kovac needs three fifths of
all votes of the deputies of the National Council of the Slovak
Republic.
The License For CET 21 Took Effect
On Tuesday, February 9, the Council of CR for Radio and Television
Broadcasting approved by all 9 votes (that is, in full attendance) the
conditions of licensing the CET 21 company for the aerial television
broadcasting on the CT2 circuit . Representatives of CET 21 handed to
the Council a written declaration that it accepts the license, including
all supplementary conditions. This gave legal validity to the Council's
decision from January 30 about granting the license. By the appropriate
law, the company is given 360 days to prepare for the broadcasting, and
the license is valid for 12 years.
The decision was sharply criticized by some representatives and
deputies, especially from ODS (Civic Democratic Party). P. Cermak (the
acting deputy chairman of the ODS) characterized the result of the
Council's session as a direct threat to the substance of this state, and
CET 21 as a politically dangerous organization. "Until, after adding
three members, the Council gives a second thought to its decision, we
will, of course, seek further and further steps how to secure our
rights," emphasized P. Cermak. He expressed doubts about the names of
the persons participating on the project CET 21 (Fedor Gal - the
chairman of the former Public Against Violence; Vladimir Zelezny - the
spokesman for the former Czech Premier Pithart; Marc Palmer - on grounds
of conflict of interest, he had to resign from the post of the US
Ambassador to Budapest, presently President of CEDC). Also according to
P. Cermak, the capital presence of the American company CEDC is too
high.
The chairman of the Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting,
D. Korte (a member of the Civic Democratic Alliance), rejects all
accusations. He stresses that the Council was duly elected by the
Parliament, and that it decided on the granting of the license
unanimously - by six votes. Not even the three members who were yet to
be added to the Council, could not reverse the decision. D. Corte
considers the decision valid and final, and considers screening
according to political allegiance unacceptable.
The distribution of capital in the project CET 21 (Central European
Television for the 21. Century) is Czech (30%) and American (70%). Even
V. Havel made his comments on the situation that formed around the
granting of the license (see the following item).
First Presidential Briefing
On Monday, February 8, the first of regularly scheduled briefings
of President V. Havel took place in the Prague Castle. He expressed his
concern about the voices directed against the CET 21 company. In
particular, he had in mind the words "failures" and "bankrupt
politicians" in connection with the names of Fedor Gal and Vladimir
Zelezny, who participate in the project CET 21. The President announced
that he is going to meet the Czech government, the chairs of the
coalition parties and the representatives of the parliament this week.
They will talk about the relationship between the head of the state, the
parliament, and the government. V. Havel also confirmed that his first
trip abroad will be to Slovakia. After Premier Meciar expressed his wish
to meet him, V. Havel authorized his office to set the most convenient
date for the visit. V. Havel would attend to the inauguration of the
Slovak President, provided that the supreme representatives of other
neighboring states are invited. As is known, Vladimir Meciar did not
attend Havel's inauguration on account of pre-occupation with work, and
Slovakia was represented in Prague by the first vice-premier and an
unsuccessful candidate in the first round of the presidential elections,
Roman Kovac.
The historian and political scientist Pavel Seifter became the
director of the department for foreign politics of the Office of the
President. The director of the department of interior politics has not
been appointed. The chief of the Office is still Lubos Dobrovsky. The
President also signed a letter of appointment of Filip Sedivy to the
post of the Extraordinary Accredited Ambassador of the Czech Republic to
the Slovak Republic.
Education Threatened By Lack Of Funding
In their address to the government and people of the Czech
Republic, drawn up on Monday, February 8, the rectors of post-secondary
schools pointed out the threat to the education. Mlada Fronta Dnes
(Youth Front Today) reported on it on Tuesday.
The cuts in the state budget for education forces universities and
separate faculties to adopt emergency measures, e.g., by restructuring
the school year. Summer semester lectures would have to be shifted, to
take place from March 15 to June 30, the winter semester would start
already on August 30 and end November 30. According to the provosts of
the universities in the Czech Republic, these measures will render
students' summer employment, including jobs abroad, impossible.
Two Endowments Of Charter 77
The separation into two independent endowments, one located in
Prague and the other in Bratislava, was decided upon by the Board of
Directors of the Czechoslovak Endowment of Charter 77.
SPORTS
Ice Hockey
The International Ice Hockey Federation IIHF turned down, without
the possibility of appeal, Slovakia's application for a late admission
into the C group of the World Championship. Thus, in the next season
Slovakia will just be in the play-offs for the participation in the
group.
After 38 complete rounds of the Federal Hockey League, Litvinov
still leads; but Sparta Praha in the second place has the same number of
points - 49. Third-place Ceske Budejovice and fourth Trencin have 44
points each. The chance of the last-place Plzen to pass into the play-
off is minimal. The league will continue February 16, after its
representation taking part in the Swedish Hockey Plays.
Brief News
In the historically first match, the women's handball team of the
Czech Republic defeated Slovakia 20:14.
FIFA (Soccer Association) has announced that the selected team of
Czech and Slovak soccer players will play in the qualification for World
Championship under the English abbreviation RCS (Representation of
Czechs and Slovaks).
EXCHANGE RATES OF THE CZECH CROWN
purchase sale
FRG 1 DEM 17.13 18.05
USA 1 USD 28.44 29.84
UK 1 GBP 39.95 43.09
AUT 1 ATS 2.44 2.56
FRA 1 FRF 5.04 5.36
The rates are as of February 10.
WEATHER
Temperatures up to ten degrees centigrade higher in the mountains,
compared with lowlands, and bad dispersion conditions in the cities are
caused by an inverse character of the weather. Nightly temperatures
range from -5 to 0 degrees Celsius, daily temperatures in the lowlands
are near zero, in higher altitudes around five degrees Celsius.
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